Integrated Lab-on-Chip Terahertz-Spectroscopy Platform in BiCMOS Technology II (THz-LoC II)

• Applicants: Professor Dr.-Ing. Dietmar Kissinger; Professor Dr. Bernd Tillack
• Subject Area: Electronic Semiconductors, Components and Circuits, Integrated Systems, Sensor Technology, Theoretical Electrical Engineering
• Term: from 2015 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 272552499

The main objective of this project is the research and development of a fully integrated terahertz (THz) microfluidic sensor platform based on novel sensing architectures for versatile functionalities and accurate measurement of a material under test (MUT). The THz sensor platform will be realized through the combination of highly integrated THz microfluidic sensors with complex vector network analyzer (VNA) frontends in a state-of-the-art SiGe BiCMOS technology. The newly proposed architecture exhibits full 2-port network analyzing functionality in dual-frequency bands (WR3:220-325 GHz and WR2:325-500 GHz) with variable operating mode (heterodyne and homodyne/interferometric) in a system-on-chip (SoC) for the accurate sensing and characterization of trapped cells in microfluidic channels. The demonstration of such a low-cost mass-producible solution represents a breakthrough in the applicability of electromagnetic high-frequency biosensors.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1857: Elektromagnetische Sensoren für Life Sciences (ESSENCE)
• Co-Investigator: Privatdozent Dr.-Ing. Mehmet Kaynak, Ph.D.